


Taming the lion’s heart

by whythekwehnot



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Disaster Prompto, I will update tags as I go, M/M, Younger!Cor, crownsguard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:41:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21721624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whythekwehnot/pseuds/whythekwehnot
Summary: Prompto has completed his crownsguard training, he just has to have an informal chat with the Marshal of the crownsguard - Cor Leonis, the youngest Marshal in history at 32 years old. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Cor Leonis
Comments: 6
Kudos: 29





	Taming the lion’s heart

Prompto walked up the citadel steps, the sun beating down on his bare arms making his freckles darken and become more pronounced. He was wringing his hands nervously, going through his usual ticks in an attempt to calm his nerves; Prompto knew he had passed all of his physical trials and that he had aced his firearms class, but he still wasn’t guaranteed to be accepted into the prestigious Crownsguard, not until  _ the Marshal himself  _ had interviewed him. Prompto had seen Cor Leonis around the training compound occasionally but he had never been taught by him or spoken to him at any point during his training. The Marshal’s presence always put the trainees on edge, some of his classmates even injured themselves trying to impress the man. As Marshal of the Crownsguard, Cor had the final say on who gets admitted and who didn’t, he would ask about Prompto, about why he wanted to join the guard and maybe ask about his childhood. All Prompto knew was that he was rescued by an older member of the crownsguard in Niflheim and brought back to Insomnia where he was then adopted by the Argentum family. Nobody knew why a baby had a barcode tattoo but it didn’t matter, Prompto was adopted by a good family who loved him and raised him to be kind, compassionate and encouraged his dream of joining the crownsguard.

Scratching the barcode on his wrist, he reached the top of the steps and paused, staring up at the towering Citadel in awe. He had never thought he would walk the halls of the ancient building, the home of the Lucian royal family, as one of the crownsguard; he had of course visited it through High School to play video games with Noct and to study, he’d gotten to know Gladio and Ignis during those visits. But to be Crownsguard? And work in the citadel as an accepted member? It was a dream he never dared to hold onto. Now that he was here, Prompto began to doubt himself. 

_ I’m unworthy, what if they don’t want a Niff in the guard? What if Cor decides I’m not a good fit? OMG I’m not going to do this! _

Prompto mentally slaps himself, straightening his clothes and preening his hair one last time before entering the Citadel, trying desperately to put on an air of confidence on the outside, despite his mind doing backflips in his head and sticking spears through his sense of self and his self esteem. He never was very good at accepting himself, let alone liking himself. He turned the last corner on his route to the Marshal's office when he spots the door and crashes straight into a taller, muscular man, who steadies Prompto by gripping his shoulders. 

“Oh tall, dark and handsome, where have you been hiding?” Prompto mutters to himself, louder than planned due to his nerves, he looked up to see  _ Cor Leonis himself looking back at him.  _ “Crap, good start, well done, gold star not for you.” Cor had a small, amused smile on his face; the sort of smile you’d give a child when they were acting daft. 

“Blond hair, quirky and my last appointment of the day, I assume you’re Prompto?” Cor queried. 

Shrugging out of the older man’s hold, Prompto straightened his back “yes sir, I’m here for my interview with you.”

Stepping back, Marshal Leonis let’s go of Prompto’s shoulders “you’re actually a few minutes early, if you’d like to take a seat in my office, I’ll be there shortly.” Cor manoeuvres around Prompto and walks the way he had entered. Not wanting to stand in the corridor and look like a fool, Prompto walked quickly towards the dark wood door, it had a brushed metal plaque nailed into it ‘Cor Leonis. Marshal of the Crownsguard’ was engraved in ornate, gold lettering. Prompto turned the doorknob and entered the office, the room was bare aside from a simple wooden desk with a computer set up on it and a small group of chairs around a coffee table in one corner. He looked around, trying to figure out whether he should sit in one of the office chairs or in front of the desk. Deciding on the safer option of sitting in front of the desk, Prompto spotted a small yellow figurine under the monitor, he took a closer look and saw it was an intricately detailed, limited edition shiny chocobo. 

_ Cor the Immortal…likes...chocobos? Huh. _

Prompto picked up the tiny figurine noticing that it was made the same as the one he had purchased, apparently in the same sale as the shop who had made them had only done one run of these models. He stood there admiring the tiny chocobo when he heard the door click open, making him jump suddenly, losing his grip on the figurine and wishing Ramuh would smite him then and there when he heard the figurine shatter on the floor. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry” he crouched to try to clean up the mess, cutting his fingers on the shards of yellow and gold glass. 

Cor walked around him to sit at his desk, seemingly not bothered by his only personal item (that Prompto could see) now being in pieces on the floor “Prompto”.

Prompto stood, straightening his back and saluting the Marshal hoping that one of the astrals would take pity on him and destroy him. “Yes..sir. Um I’m really sorry about earlier in the corridor and … um, breaking your chocobo figurine.” He wrung his hands together nervously, refusing to make eye contact with the Immortal. 

“Take a seat.”

Nervously following his instructions, Prompto sat down opposite Cor, there was no way he was going to pass this interview now, having just broken something of the Marshals - was he? 

"Prompto Argentum, 20 years old, a talent with guns and anything mechanical" Cor stated from the file in front of him. Prompto knows that it also says he only just passed his aptitude with every other weapon but he was the best with guns, "you attended Insomnia High where you met Prince Noctis, and through him came to know Gladiolus and Ignis, the prince's retainers. Why do you want to join the Crownsguard?" 

Swallowing, Prompto looks straight ahead, as though he's looking through Cor and not at him, thinking carefully about his answer. "I haven't belonged anywhere before, but I feel like I belong with Noct, Ignis and Gladio. Noctis will be the King one day and I'd like to be able to protect him and protect the people of Insomnia. I'm not much use with swords, shields or daggers but I never miss with a gun; I hope you think I'd make a good addition to the guard." he finished quietly, picking at his fingernails and dropping his gaze to the floor. 

Cor watches him fidget, his test results were excellent in fitness, strength, firearms and tactical knowledge - Ignis would be surprised to know the young sharpshooter had a tactical mind, but his tests with close combat weapons weren't so great; he had only just passed his sword exercise, but Cor had to admit the young man's eagerness to learn and push himself to the limits had impressed him. He had first noticed him on the groups second day of training, looking half dead from the circuits they were being run through until they dropped and Prompto had been the last one to give in. Not only that but Gladio had explained what Prompto was like as a child, overweight and with a low level of fitness. The young man had done well and worked hard to be in the shape he was now in and that kind of commitment? It was exactly what Cor looked for in Crownsguard recruits. So Cor had kept tabs on his progress and was pleased when his final report came through with passes across the board. 

“And what would you say your biggest weakness was Prompto?”

Prompto hadn’t expected the question, “being completely honest? Probably my inability to not crack a joke at the wrong time. Or actually no, I don’t like bugs and there’s a good chance I could be sent out of the city into the surrounding regions - where there’s loads of bugs.” He snapped his mouth shut, knowing how much of an idiot he must now sound to Cor but felt like he shouldn’t say anything else; he had an uncanny ability to dig himself a deeper hole when he tried to get out of one. 

"I'm enlisting you in the Crownsguard. You've passed everything you need to, I will however suggest that you do further training in close quarter combat and weaponry - only to ensure that you're equipped to fight with them if needed. Well done Prompto." 

Prompto's head snapped up in surprise, "you're letting me in? Despite the fact I'm a bumbling disaster and I broke your chocobo?" he asks in a rush. 

Laughing Cor responds "yes despite you breaking my only chocobo figurine, I'm letting you in, you have a rare kind of commitment in you that I don’t see much and your existing loyalty to the crown notwithstanding - you’re a good fit and we need more in the guard with your level of skill with firearms. If you report to the uniform offices down the hall, they’ll get you fitted for you crownsguard fatigues.” He explained, gesturing to the left to direct Prompto to the right offices. “Once you kitted out, we’ll begin your induction and get you properly set up and working, I’d suggest once you’ve done your fitting, you go and relax this evening. You’ll be working hard soon enough” Cor joked, smiling at the newest member of the crownsguard. 

Prompto thanked him for the meeting and his decision, exiting the office on a cloud of excitement and joy - he was in! He pulled his phone out of his pocket, texting Noct the good news on his way to have his fitting. 

**Noct (12:15): well done prom, you’re stuck with us lot now dude. See you later?**

**Prompto; (12:17) yep course dude, gotta tell you some stuff, sees ya l8r**

Pocketing his phone again, he walked down the hall, stopping in front of the door that had “crownsguard uniforms” on a plaque nailed on the front; Prompto knocked twice and stepped inside for his first crownsguard uniform. 

**Author's Note:**

> Come yell at shell on Twitter 😊 @_shell_fire


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